A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera
by LILKENNY
Summary: Ficlets about the by then rumored title for episode 6.10. My first attempt at Fanfiction here. Rated T just to be safe. Smacked. All "chapters" are standalone oneshots. COMPLETE. Feedback very appreciated.
1. By not remembering the date

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

**A/N: **_After there's been some rumor about Episode 6.10 having the title "Don, I think I Killed Stella". Seems as if most people are fearing the worst. I don't see why and this is a collection of some drabbles and ficlets, that show what and who might kill Stella. It's smacked, so consider yourself warned._

_I don't own any of the original characters, the show or anything related with the show._

_This is the beta-ed version!_

_Thanks a lot to Miss Woozy for taking the time to do the beta and for her big help with the wording!_

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**1. By not remembering the date**

Sweat. Heat. More sweat.

It must be this freaking heating acting up again! One would think the department would get the damn thing repaired. This is springtime. It's not supposed to be this hot in spring – or any other season for that matter. At least not if you're living in a first world country. That's what AC and heating were for.

He sighed and pulled the next manila folder across his desk. Paperwork was a bitch, but so far nothing else had come up. Another sigh escaped his throat. Six more hours till his shift ended. This was New York City and yet still nobody had the decency to kill someone, so he could get out and hunt them down.

"Hey, Flack, why the long face?" A laughing voice whispered in his ear.

Surprised, he flinched. "Yeah… well, this is not how I like to spend my day." He sighed again, pointing to the pile of files still on his desk.

A little giggle got him looking up again. With way too much elegance and sex appeal for a homicide detective, his partner slid behind her desk. 'She's doing this on purpose, she's doing this on purpose,' his mind kept reminding him. Sadly it didn't do him much good. On purpose or not, it was definitely having the desired effect on him.

At least, getting to see her, made this day worth getting up for. Perhaps he shouldn't complain too much.

"How about we go and grab some lunch?" he asked, trying to sound as nonchalantly as possible.

"Don. It's only 10 am!"

"Who cares, let's just get out of here. Kick some asses, arrest some bad guys."

Okay, now he was starting to sound desperate. But he _was_ desperate. The heat could get to him on a good day – one without paperwork – but being deskbound made the whole mess even worse. He wanted out of here, and if Angell was coming too… Well he would definitely not object to that.

Suddenly his phone started ringing. Surprised, he looked at his partner first, then at the phone.

There **was** a god out there!

"Flack!" he practically shouted when he finally picked it up.

There was somebody panting on the other end of the line, making his hopes crash instantly. Great! The one time he was actually waiting for something to happen in this city, he got a prank-call from some pervert. Maybe he could get away with trying to hunt him down before he called somebody else… like Angell. This could be considered sexual harassment. Probably.

He was just about to start to tell the guy to get off somewhere else, when the voice started talking.

"D… Don?" came the whispered question along the line.

"Mac? That you? What's wrong?"

Okay, now he was officially worried and confused. He had never heard Mac sounding afraid. Right now he actually sounded totally scared, but there was something else in his voice. Don couldn't put his finger on it, though.

"Don? I… I think I just killed Stella!"

"You did **what**?!" The whole precinct was looking at him now. He must have misheard, he just had to. That was simply impossible. How… how could…? No, Mac would never…! "Mac? Can you hear me?! Mac!" But the line was already dead.

Shit! This was so not good! Okay, he had wished for something to happen, but not this!

"Don? What's wrong?"

Despite the horror plain in his eyes for everyone to see, he looked at her. They had to get to them. He had to call the lab or somebody to put a trace on Mac's cell – or something. Mac had sounded terrified. Well who could blame him? Again Angell asked, what happened, but all he could do was opening his mouth like some stupid goldfish in his bowl.

Suddenly he grabbed his car keys with one hand and Angell's arm with the other one.

"We have to go!" He could see that his strange behavior was starting to frighten her too. There was no other way, he had to tell her. "Mac… Mac said he killed Stella," he whispered in anguish.

"What?!"

But Don couldn't say anything else. He just nodded and kept pulling her along. They had to find Mac and Stella. Nothing else mattered right now.

While he dragged her along, he could see her fishing for her own cell.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Then it dawned on him. She was probably calling for more help. Something he should have done. How stupid of him! "Call… call Messer or someone at the lab. They have to put trace on Mac's cell, or his truck, or both, just to make sure!"

They arrived at the elevator. Thankfully the thing was on his side today and was already waiting for them.

"Yes…?" Angell suddenly laughed at her cell.

'What the…?!'

Blinking, he looked at her, when she handed her cell to him. "It's for you."

"Yeah?" he asked carefully.

"Got you this year! April fool." With that the line went dead.

Damn you, Mac Taylor!

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_**A/N:** Reviews very welcome!_

_1 down, 11 more left._


	2. By accepting a challenge

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

_I still don't own any of the original characters, the show or anything related with the show._

_Like chapter 1 this one's not beta-ed since I didn't want to wait this long (the episode might have aired sooner otherwise ;))_

_Thanks for all your comments! _

**2. By accepting a challenge**

"Watch it, Mac!"

Dons voice sounded way too loud in the eerie lit room. He could hear the young detective breathing hard. They were cornered, probably surrounded. How the hell were they supposed to get out of this? This was getting worse by the second. If they couldn't find a way to fall back or some cover soon, they were done for.

"Can you see them?" Mac asked in a hushed voice.

But Don only shook his head.

So they both had no idea where the others were. This was so not good. Maybe it had been a mistake. How the hell had Stella coaxed him into this anyway? It's been more than fifteen years now since he left the Marines. He's just getting too old for this kind of shit.

"We have to get behind them, or we could be pulverized by the crossfire", he explained to Don.

"Well I'm all for it, Mac…"

Okay, so Don had no idea either. What a great help. He should have taken Danny with him instead… Maybe then he wouldn't have lost sight of Stella, wouldn't be here in this corner, not knowing where friend and foe were. Seemed as if there was one option left. They had to go for it all. There's bravery in attack!

Well there was probably more stupidity in this one, but there wasn't really any choice left now. Their opponents are closing in on them. There was no time left. It was now or never! So better do it now, then… well never. He had to find Stella and get them out of here. Fast!

"I think there's an opening. There!" Don suddenly hissed.

That's when he saw it too. There was somebody hiding behind a couple of large crates. This had to be one of them! Carefully he moved along a narrow pathway. Something in his mind kept telling him, that this was the perfect place for an ambush, but he shoved it away quickly.

They had no choice. This was the only way.

With as much quiet as possible he raised his gun and aimed at the arm, poking out from behind the crate. Just one more step…

Suddenly the arm moved and a body came into view.

Before he could think about it, his trigger finger moved and a shot rang through the air.

The figure before him slumped, a gurgling curse the only sound emitting from its lips. In horror he stared at the lifeless body before them. Shit!

"Don… I think I just killed Stella." His voice sounded hoarse. This was so not good…

"Nah!" his young companion waved aside. "She's this princess like character. Remember? I think this witch-thingy there's Adam."

Mac looked at Don and blinked. Waving the small portable keypad at the detective he sighed. "You know? I'm not sure I'll ever get this online-game stuff."

Looking back at the large screen in the AV-lab he grinned evilly. But he had to admit that seeing "Adam" lying there bleeding… Well he supposed there's no harm in playing a game or two from time to time.

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**A/N:** _Please don't forget to hit this review link below _;)


	3. By desperation

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

_I still don't own any of the original characters, the show or anything related with the show._

_Like chapter 1 and 2 this one's not beta-ed since I didn't want to wait this long (the episode might have aired sooner). All mistakes are mine and mine only._

_Thanks a lot for your lovely reviews!  
I hope you'll like this one just the same, since I'm not sure, it turned out as funny as the last ones. _

**3. By desperation  
**

Don sighed loudly. He **so** wished, that he could be anywhere else right now. He shouldn't have given in, he had known it the second he agreed. Unfortunately those baby-blues always got to him. He just had to give in to them, whenever they asked, no pleaded for help. Again he sighed. But this was torture.

Mac owed him big for this one!

"How is it?" a female voice asked the closed curtain in front of him again.

There was a rather unidentifiable sound from the other side. His detective instinct told him, that this was not the appreciative kind of sound. Sadly it seemed as if Stella didn't speak this language half as good as he did.

"Well come out and let me see!" she demanded in a cheery voice.

"No." Don chuckled lightly. Definitely not appreciative.

Stella frowned. "I go and see if I find something else." With that she took off back into the depths of unchartered territories.

"Remind me again, Mac. Why am I here?" Don asked the curtain.

"To help me…"

Whiny Mac? That was a first. Don chuckled again. Finally this was beginning to be somehow entertaining. In the end this might turn out to be fun after all.

"Get me something good, damn it!" the same voice hissed.

Again, the curtain didn't move. Grinning Don simply waited. Mac was so going to regret every time he had pulled a prank on him.

Looking at his fingernails Don contemplated what he could cook for dinner tonight. Angell was coming over. He should really put something together. Every other time he got takeout, but maybe this time…

"Don… **_Please_**!"

Okay, maybe he was a bit cruel. Mac was a friend. He should rather help him. Really. He should. But then… Mac could probably wait another ten minutes.

"Don, I swear. If I don't get out of here unharmed, you're gonna regret this!"

Dinner tonight with Angell did really sound good. Maybe some pasta. He could do pasta.

"Don? You still there?"

He sighed – loudly. Just to make sure Mac understood what he was doing to him. Really, he didn't do this kind of stuff with this girlfriend. Why Mac had thought he should drag him along was beyond him. Stella was quite capable to do this on her own. She was a woman. They're all very capable… with this kind of thing.

"Back in a sec", he finally answered Macs desperate attempt to get his attention.

With a soundly groan he got up – making sure again, that Mac would hear it. Asking a guy to do this was cruel, even for Mac. But then, what were friends for if not to be there for each other in their times of need?

This was definitely a time of need for Mac Taylor.

Only five minutes later Don was back handing Mac his booty. At first the only answer was a sigh. Don smiled. Next came a groan. That was when Don started grinned. And finally there was a very, very audible curse, almost making him laughing out loud.

"You… you sure about this?" Mac asked, his voice sounding uncertain – another first time.

"Just put it on", he answered, still grinning. "She'll love it. I swear." Mac mumbled something unintelligible, but didn't complain any further.

Meanwhile Don took a look around. Their elusive female companion had to be around here somewhere. Thinking about it she had been gone for quite a while now. Maybe he should go and look for her. Had to be more entertaining than waiting.

Suddenly he spotted brown curls heading in their direction.

"She's back!" he hissed. Another curse from the other side of the curtain was his only answer. "Hurry up! She's almost here."

Too late. There she was, smiling widely at him, her own booty piling up over her arm. Amazing how much stuff that woman could carry around. Really, how could women do that? He's sure he'd have a hard time carrying around this much stuff and he's a guy. A guy who actually uses his gym membership on a regular basis.

"I think we got the right thing already", Don announced smiling back at her.

For a second he saw her smile falter and he was actually sorry to disappoint her like this. Behind his back he could still hear Mac cursing quietly under his breath. Okay, maybe he wasn't that sorry.

"You coming out Mac or what?" he asks loudly to make sure his friend has no chance to get away.

There wasn't any reaction for almost a minute and Don was actually hard pressed not to go inside and check if he's alright. But then they could hear some rustling from inside. Seemed as if this whole thing would be over soon.

When the curtain moved aside Dons eyes went wide and he was really trying to stay serious. He was. Really. But this was just… just…

Before he could even think of any words that could describe how he was feeling he hears a loud laughter right beside him. Looking at Stella he could see all the stuff she had just gathered lying on the ground, while she was having real trouble to calm herself. She was bend over and holding her stomach, while still laughing out loud.

That's when people started to notice them and turned around. Some of them started sniggering as soon as they saw Mac, but most had the decency to look away quickly. Probably so that they won't break down like the woman in front of him.

Stella was still bent over, trying unsuccessfully to calm down. But every time her sight went over to Mac again, the laughter started anew. Don wasn't sure, but he could have sworn, that it got even louder, the longer it lasted.

Meanwhile Mac was standing in front of the changing room, face burning in a very unhealthy bright red – but actually kind of matching the color of his attire. Looking at the poor guy Don has to suppress his own laughter. His was just too good. He should have brought a camera with him. But when he starts fishing for his cell as the next best thing Mac shoots him a deadly glare.

Okay, he should show some pity.

Stella was still laughing, painful sobs now rocking her in between the laughter. She was holding her right side, probably having stitch by now. That was when Don got concerned and carefully put a hand on her shoulder. She only shook her head, still unable to stop laughing.

Instead she actually broke down to her knees, while furiously rubbing at the tears that were now flowing freely from her eyes. Her desperate tries to stop laughing were only interrupted with probably quite painful sobs and hic-ups. Don turned around and looked at Mac.

"Mac…? I think you just killed Stella."

The proud CSI-lab chief sighed and shrugged helplessly. Well, he supposed he should have known a fluffy pink bunny for a Halloween costume could do that to her...

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**A/N:** _I'm sorry, this turned out to be rather… crack-fic-ed! I hope it's still funny. The next ones will probably be less… crazy ;)  
Also I'm not sure I used the word "stitch" correctly. It's the one my dictionary told me to use. It's supposed to be a stabbing pain in the side, you e.g. get from running fast without being trained… (lacking a better description :/ )  
3 down, 9 more to come…_


	4. By not wanting to share toys

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

_**A/N: **__I guess Don will be in quite a lot of those one-shots. Hope you don't mind. He's in there mainly because of the "original" quote and also because besides Stella he's the only one I would consider to have a somewhat equal standing to Mac. And I like the idea that there's a real friendship between those two._

_Also the image of "little Don and Mac playing Dennis the Menace" is just too cute ;D_

_I still don't own any of the original characters, the show or anything related with the show._

_Like the previous chapters this one's not beta-__ed). So all mistakes are mine and mine only._

_Thanks a lot for all your lovely reviews!__ I'll keep updating whenever a chapter is finished, so there might be several chapters a day right now, but there'll probably be a day without update too ;) _

**4. By not wanting to share toys**

It was already late when Don finally made his way up to the crime lab. He would have been here earlier but an accident two blocks away had brought traffic to standstill. Thankfully nobody had been hurt and he could finally call it a day.

About time anyway.

This day had just been one of those days he could gladly live without. It sucks to be called to a crime scene when it's about somebody you know. So when the call came in that they found another Mac Taylor dead… Well let's just say, that this being the second time in even less weeks, didn't make it any easier.

Gladly it hadn't been the one Mac Taylor he called a friend. Although he has to admit, that he can live quite well without the slime-ball that had turned out to be the real target.

But since he hadn't heard anything from "his" Mac Taylor during the rest of the day, he figured he should pay him a little visit. Just to make sure, that everything was alright. And maybe they could grab a beer or something to eat on their way out. He might even consider buying…

Well not really, but he could consider offering.

When he turned around the corner he could see his friend sitting in one of the labs, seemingly very busy with some of that fancy computer-stuff they had put up in there. He never really got most of it, but that's probably why there were lab-geeks for this kind of stuff. But seeing Mac there was still strange. Not that he had any doubt Mac would get way more of it than he did, but because his friends shift should have ended by now.

There couldn't be another case already. He would have heard, would have probably been called to the scene. He had expected him to still be here. There are only a view occasions, when you wouldn't. But Don had thought he would rescue Mac from some darn paperwork, nothing really important.

"Hey, what ya doing there?" Don asked suspiciously when he got closer.

His usual spidey-senses obviously on vacation, Mac nearly jumped out of his chair when he heard his friend standing right behind him.

"Nothing!"

Okay…

This didn't sound like nothing. Don had heard better lies from suspects in holding-cells. Something was going on here. So he risked a look at the screen, fully expecting it to be some chemical gibberish.

"That a citizen-search?" Don asked surprised, when he saw the list in front of him. "Hey, that's my name! What are you really doing here?!"

"Well…" Mac really tried to be as nonchalantly as possible but failed miserably. "Alright, I just figured, since everyone knows now that there are 20 plus me out there I should get even and…"

"So you searched for how many of 'us' are out there?" That's something Don would have expected from Adam or… well mostly Adam. But Mac?!

"Actually I only got as far as Danny and you."

Don looked at him incredulously. This wasn't a joke. Mac had actually looked them up for real. And he hadn't even bothered to call him and invite him over. Sneaky bastard! Without any hesitation Don signed for Mac to move over a bit, while he grabbed another chair for himself.

"And? How many Messers do we have to keep up with?" he asked when he sat down and got comfortable. Maybe he should have bought that beer in advance. And some popcorn would be nice too right now.

"Ten."

"You kidding, right? Ten of his kind?! God help us…"

Mac actually chuckled at that, something Don rarely saw lately. But then… he supposed that Mac had had a rough time those last months. Not much fun stuff there.

"And… only six of me? Well that's a bummer..." How disappointing. Messer actually got more doubles than him. Maybe his dad was right and he was should ask Angell to consider putting a Donald Flack 3rd into this world.

But then… maybe he shouldn't. No, thinking about it, he really shouldn't.

The sound of Mac typing on the keyboard had him back to really. Watching the names coming up on the screen he laughed lightly. Also six Adam Ross… Not bad for the lab-geek. At least he wasn't worse than Adam.

"I still win. I got more than 20." Mac chuckled again.

He was defiantly having fun. After this whole fiasco he needed something to distract himself from any thought about how close he had been to become the next victim. Having some company made the whole snooping around much more interesting.

And really, Don was one of only two people he would have wanted to be here with him.

"What about Stella?" Don asked suddenly and with it remembering Mac of just that other person.

"Let's see… S-t-e-l-l-a B-o-n-a-s-e-r-a… New York City and State."

Only one name came up. Well, who would have guessed? "There's only one entry", Don commented a bit disappointed. It would have been quite interesting to see what another Stella looked like.

"Yeah…", Mac mumbled. "Only one."

Suddenly Don saw something else on the Screen. "Hey what's that icon over there?" he asked curiously.

"Citizenship record. Birth certificate, references to rap sheets and stuff like that."

Don looked at Mac, who looked back at him, a grin slowly forming on both their lips.

"Wanna take a look?" Don asked in a hushed voice.

"Well… we shouldn't. Really. It's… it's kind of private, you know."

But Mac was still grinning and the pointer moved precariously close to the icon. They both knew that they shouldn't. Not just because it was private. This was Stella, Macs best friend and if it weren't for Angell Dons too. But despite his words, the gleam in Macs eyes gave his real thought away quite obviously.

"She doesn't have to know, right?" Don whispered.

Still the pointer kept hovering above the little icon. With every second that ran by Macs determination faltered. They really shouldn't be doing this. There was still time to just close the window, get out of here and maybe grab a couple of beers while they were at it. But then…

"Oh come on, Mac. She'd do the same and you know it!"

Mac looked at his partner in crime and grinned. Sure she would. Actually he's quite sure she already had. If not before the whole bomb-blowing-up-in-Dons-face fiasco then definitely after it. Sometimes she's just too curious. Didn't mean he should do the same. If this pestering voice in the back of his head would shut up for a minute, he could actually decide what to do.

Suddenly Don reached for the mouse to do it himself. But Mac wouldn't give it up so easily.

"Just do it, Mac. You're the one telling me all the time to know my enemies."

"Stella's not really an enemy", Mac throw back at him in return.

They were both laughing now, while they kept on fighting for control. Whenever Don actually got his hands on the device, Mac would elbow him until his hand slipped away. But giving up was not in Don Flacks vocabulary. They kept on fidgeting, both shoving at each other, both determined to win this little fight.

Sadly determination alone didn't help against somebody trained by the Marines and after a very bold attack from Don they were both sliding halfway across the desk, before Mac could push him aside again.

With an audible sigh Don finally gave up and fell back into his chair.

"This is no fair! You got to look up who knows what before I came in here. Just one little glance", he whined disappointed.

But his friend didn't answer. When Don looked at him, he saw a telltale greenish hue around his nose. Suddenly Mac didn't look all that well anymore. Before Don could even ask, what was wrong, Mac pointed to the screen with his free hand.

"Err… Don? I… I think I just killed Stella."

Confused Don looked at the screen, not understanding what was going on. But as soon as he read the words, he knew they were in trouble. Correction: Mac was in trouble. She was so going to have his hide. Thinking about it, he could just as well spend the evening with Angell. Because he wasn't going to be around when this one blew up in Macs face. And it would blow up of that he was quite sure. Because the screen read in bright red letters:

_**Stella Bonasera – deceased**_**.**

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**A/N:** _In case you haven't noticed (or didn't remember why this was oddly familiar to you). It's an alternate version of the Ending for "My Name is Mac Taylor", where Adam and Stella did the name-search. But I didn't really see either Mac and Adam or Don and Adam doing this kind of stuff, so I put the two rascals in there together again.  
I know so far there's only some underlying smacked, but there'll be some in the later chapters ;)  
Reviews as always welcome.  
4 down, 8 more to come…_


	5. By being oneself

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

_**A/N: **__This one's not featuring Don for a change and I had to tweak the quote a bit to make it fit, but I hope you still like it._

_Just to make sure… those "chapters" are not in chronological order. They do have some kind of order in my mind, but I'm not sure it would make any sense if I tried to explain it. So I'll just post them the way they are and you can rearrange them in your mind if you feel the need to ;)_

_I still don't own any of the original characters, the show or anything related with the show._  
_Like the previous chapters this one's not beta-ed). So all mistakes are mine and mine only._

_Thanks a lot again for all your lovely reviews! _

**5. By being oneself**

Oh boy, he was more exhausted than ever before in the last… well he couldn't even remember the last time he had felt this drained. Tired and totally worn out he let himself fall to the couch. At last some comfort. He was definitely getting too old to do this kind of stuff.

Geez, was his back acting up!

Suddenly the only other person in the room let herself fall to the couch right next to him. Her breath was still labored, but he was too winded himself to make some witty comment about her being younger than him and still not having more stamina. He doubted it would go down very good right now. And the last thing he wanted to do was aggravate her in any way.

But still he was glad, he wasn't the only one who got a hard time breathing. His heart beating in his chest from all their 'activities' this evening wasn't helping either. Maybe he was really getting too old. But then… this had been so much fun. He wouldn't change a thing. And if she ever called him again, asking if he could come over, well he was sure, he'd be here in a heartbeat.

One of his normal heartbeats, mind you, not the unhealthy, fast rhythm he was currently showing off.

Just like he had this evening.

He hadn't really expected to end up here on this couch, his best friend and working partner for several years right next to him – both still having trouble to calm down. But also neither of them regretting this evening.

Hopefully.

He risked a sideway glance at her. Her breath was slowing down now, as was his own. But her brown curls still looked a bit… ruffled. Seeing her like this he simply had to smile.

Normally she wasn't that unguarded around others. It was different with him, though – he knew that. When they were alone and not at work she rarely kept her guard up. That was also the reason he was one of the few men she lets inside her apartment. They've been friends for such a long time, been through so much. So he considered himself lucky every day she wasn't keeping up with him.

He carefully lifted his arm and pulled her shoulders to him. Their breathing was almost back to normal now, but neither dared to speak. Every word could destroy what they had just gained, could destroy what they've been working on those last hours.

Actually staying like this sounded like a really good idea. Thinking about it, this was quite relaxing. And his companion wasn't complaining either, so he guessed his comforting arm wasn't bothering her.

Nice!

Slowly his eyes grew heavy, but he didn't want to go to sleep. In fact he wanted to savor this moment and the silence as long as possible. Besides he still felt way too exhausted from the hours before. Really… Who would have thought how much energy could be build up into such a seemingly fragile body?

"I'm so dead right now", she whispered with a smile on her lips.

He could only chuckle in agreement.

Five minutes later her breathing had evened out and when he risked another glance at her he could see she had fallen asleep. A smile played over his lips, while he kept watching her. Oh yes, this evening had definitely taken a turn to the good side.

Still contemplating how lucky he felt right then his eyes finally drifted shut. He could swear he heard someone giggle not that far away, but he was too far gone already to fully weak up again. So he gave in to his need for sleep.

Two hours later the front door opened silently and a lone figure sneaked inside – careful not to make any noise. After said figure closed the door it slowly tiptoed in the direction of the living room. It had passed halfway through the hallway, when something jumped out from behind the corner and ran towards it.

"Mommy! Mommy! Me kild Sella!" A cheery voice announced, making the silent figure chuckle in amusement.

Slowly bending down she picked up the little blond curly-head and kissed her on the cheek. She let her hand glide lightly over the dimmer, so that the light wouldn't be fully turned on. The sight that greeted her in the living room was nearly too much and all she could do to not laugh out loud was to kiss her little daughter again and turn towards the child's bedroom.

"I can see that and she took uncle Mac right with her, didn't she."

The girl giggled, her little hands barely able to suppressing the sound, so that she wouldn't wake the two sleeping adults on the couch. Lindsay took one look around the living room and another peek into the kitchen to know, what had happened. A war-hardened Marine and a woman who had survived a life in foster-care and orphanages… but they both had to give in to her daughter.

Lindsay chuckled again: "Well, you're definitely your daddy's little girl, Lucy."

"Not sleepy-bye yet! Play more tag!"

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**A/N:** So… Who's mind just got out of the gutter again? ;)  
_I have to admit, that I have no idea how to write kiddy-talk in English, but I hope you got what I wanted to say. Also it's a shorter one again. They'll probably continue to vary in length.  
Reviews welcome as always.  
5 down, 7 more to go…_


	6. By meaning well

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

_**A/N:**__ Another one featuring Don. There's more smacked to come in the next chapters. Some of them also probably a bit more serious from now on. Hope you won't mind._

_Thanks again for all your reviews._

_I still don't own CSI:NY or its characters._

**6. By meaning well**

"You said you could do this."

Don was so not a happy camper right now. It was really late and there was simply no way, they'd be finished anytime soon. Not to mention, that he was tired, exhausted and… Yes he had to admit it, he was cranky. This was boring and him being tired wasn't helping at all. In fact this was getting highly annoying – and quite messy to say the least.

Good thing this isn't his apartment!

"I never said that. I said I had done this before", is partner in crime hissed back, voice just as full of anger and frustration.

"What's the freaking difference, Mac?! It's past midnight and we're still where we started hours ago!"

His friend sighed, obviously as close to giving up as he was. They had both thought this was a good idea. Actually it had been his idea not Macs, so it had to be good. Who could have guessed, this was so… complicated? Okay, he had known, that it wouldn't be all that easy, being their first time and all.

They say the first time's the worst, don't they?

That's why he had confided into Mac. He knew he could trust him. They were friends, buddies. Besides, Messer was busy changing diapers and there was simply no way in hell he would have asked Sheldon or Adam. He hadn't even thought of that.

When he had made up his mind, there had been only one man he could have asked to do this for him. With him.

Whatever!

He had asked the man, if he had ever done this kind of thing before and thinking back at that moment… Mac had blushed at that question. So maybe this should have gotten him worried. On the other hand, the man was a walking encyclopedia; he just **had** to know how to do this the right way. But instead it seemed as if Mac was just as clueless.

How disappointing!

"We'll never get finished in time", Don whined again.

That was how desperate he was. He was actually whining – and admitting to it! This was getting worse and worse. Any longer and he'll actually start begging. Only it wouldn't help because there was no way, they would ever get this done in time.

Looking around he noticed the chaos they had so far produced. The only thing they had produced at all – not counting those… things that were left from their first 'experiment'.

That's why he hadn't liked the science-classes at high school. Too much stuff, that could go wrong. And **way** too much stuff that did go wrong, when he was involved. He had hoped it would be different with Mac as his aid. But it had turned out, that he had to pose as Macs aide and that resulted in the already mentioned chaos. The room looked like a bomb had hit.

Maybe it had and he just hadn't noticed.

Looking critically at Macs latest 'experiment' he wasn't so sure anymore if it's safe to stay this close to the man.

"You sure this thing won't blow up?"

Mac shot him a glance that clearly spoke of how much he cared for his kind of comments right now. "Nothing in there that could blow up", was his icy reply. Then he turned back to whatever he was doing. Mixing… stuff, carefully measuring every ingredient, so that this won't be another failure.

"Sure?"

"Pretty."

"Pretty sure?"

"Quite."

"So...?"

"It won't blow up, Don!"

Carefully Don finally took step back. Even if it was to avoid the anger that was rolling off of Mac in waves. He still wasn't so sure, that they were safe, but it was probably better he didn't interfered too much. This… concoction Mac was putting together was their third try – and probably their last because they had only three hours left before they had to be at work for the early shift.

The fist one – the one Don had put together on his own - had been a total disaster. Mac had looked at the contents of his bowl and then taken it as it was to put it far, far away, where nobody could get hurt from it.

The second one had looked better. Texture, color, everything had looked right. But the final product… well it had looked more like something you would use in constructions. So it definitely wasn't what they were aiming at.

For the third and last one they had to raid every tiny little piece, that could serve as an ingredient, because by then they had been really running low on the basics.

"You know, this would be much faster, if you'd help some", Mac said suddenly.

The man hadn't learned his lesson yet? Don Flack and anything relating to what they were trying to achieve was obviously not a good combination. Still Mac pointed to some white powder on the far end of the counter.

"Give me that."

When Don didn't comply right away Mac shot him another glare that sent the young detective scurrying. He took the glass-container slowly brought it back to his friend.

"I hope this is worth it", Don said suddenly, a little bit of disappointment in his voice.

"This was your idea, Don."

As if he didn't know that. When he had come up with it, it had sounded like a really good idea. It was definitely something new, unexpected, surprising. He was quite sure, nobody would expect them to do something like this. Angell definitely wouldn't. Stella neither. Although he's not sure about Stella, since the woman could sometimes read them like a book, which was scary.

Sadly doing this wasn't half as much fun as he thought when they had started nearly half a day ago. At first he had been all into it but when his very own 'experiment' got parked on the balcony, so that nobody could get hurt by it… well that had been quite a bummer. And while his own mood got worse, so did Macs. By now they were on their last reserve and both quiet aggravated.

"Okay, I think this is it", Mac finally announced.

He shot a rather uncertain look at Don, who just shrugged.

"Let's give it a try and then call it a day, no matter the outcome."

***

Three hours later a surprisingly happy Don walked into the precinct, a little package under his arm. When he looked around he noted with some disappointment that Angell wasn't already there. But then he smiled knowing it would give him some more time to put the final part of his plan into motion.

The same plan which had resulted in him spending the night over at Mac's.

He took his coat off and went over to his desk, putting the little package on Angell's side. After moving it from one side to the other a couple of times he was sure, he had placed it right in the middle. No way, she was going to miss it.

That was when the door opened and his partner arrived, a smile on her pretty face.

She was going to love this! Hopefully resulting in some additional love she could spare on him.

"Hey", he greeted her and stepped aside.

She saw the little package right away, just as he had intended her to. The smile on her face got even wider. This was definitely worth a night without sleep and putting up with cranky, tired Mac on coffee withdrawal.

Suddenly his cell started ringing. Annoyed because of the interruption at this really inappropriate moment, he got it out of his pocket. The caller-ID showed 'Mac Taylor' and he grinned. The guy probably wanted to thank him because this idea had already worked like clockwork on his end.

Smiling at Angell he took the call. But before he could even say hello Mac had him interrupted already.

"Don? Did you give yours to Angell already?"

"No. She just arrived", he answered still smiling and silently mouthing to Angell that she should open her present.

"That's good!" Mac sounded strangely relieved. "Don't let her open it."

"Why not?" Don asked confused. There was a strange sound in the background on Macs end. "What's that sound?"

"That's… well that's Stella."

There was silence for a moment, while Don tried to identify the sound he could still hear. Suddenly there was a little cry and he could hear a not very ladylike curse.

"Don? I think our cookies just killed Stella…"

He started to open his mouth and warn Angell, when he saw her hurrying along the desks in the direction of the restrooms.

Damn! They would never live this one down.

----

**A/N: **_This one turned out a bit awkward, sorry. And I promise no Stella's or Angell's were permanently hurt ;)  
Half way through. 6 down, 6 more to come…_


	7. By failing

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

**A/N:** _This one's probably not as funny as the last ones (because it's not meant to be all that funny). Hope you like it anyway. You should also consider yourself warned by that. I also can't stop using Angell as a character so imagine this taking place sometime before the end of season 5._

_Thanks again for your reviews!_

_Again not beta-ed, so there are probably errors left. You're warned._

**7. By failing**

Don's heart was beating fast when he arrived at the scene. As soon as he had gotten the call he knew, this wouldn't be a good day. It never was a good day, when dispatch mentioned the name of somebody you knew. If said somebody was a friend of yours it usually got worse by the minute.

"What happened?" he asked as soon as he had left his car.

Angell was already there and since he couldn't see any CSIs around he supposed she was the only one to tell him what was going on here. There were several uniformed officers hiding behind their cars, so he kept his head low.

Unfortunately Angell didn't know that much more.

"There's been a call. Seems as if somebody's keeping Stella hostage inside", she answered.

Damn, so it was true. During the whole time it took him to get there he was hoping, that it was some kind of misunderstanding, a mistake or… anything but the truth.

"Where's Mac?" he asked suddenly.

Looking around he couldn't see him anywhere, which was strange. Lately those two rarely went to a scene with somebody else. So question was, where was the guy now, when his partner was in trouble?

"He didn't go in there, did he?!"

Thankfully Angell shook her head. "No, he's off duty today."

It took Don a moment to understand what his partner was saying. Mac – the guy who practically lived at the lab – was at home enjoying his free time while Stella got kidnapped? This was so not good. The guy would have his hide if anything happened to the woman. He still remembered all too well how Mac had once told him that being a Marine and a CSI meant he not only knew how to kill someone and hide the body, but also how to get away with hit. So even if Stella wouldn't be his friend he had more than enough reason to make sure, she got out of there unharmed.

"Do we have a number or something?" he finally asked.

Another no from his partner got him even more worried. How was he supposed to do this without any way to contact whoever was in there?

That was when his cell started ringing.

"We've got a call from the man who claims he got Detective Bonasera restrained. You ready to take the call, Detective?"

He looked at Angell hoping to find some strength before he answered. "Put him through."

****

When he returned to his living room he saw her standing in front of the window, looking out. It wasn't the best view he knew, but it seemed as if she couldn't be bothered less. Actually she looked quite comfortable standing there.

"You know, I'm not sure I can remember the last time I was over here…"

Mac smiled a bit at the comment of his current guest. She was right, it had been a while since he had invited her over. But then… lately most of times he did invite her she had refused. For a while he had thought she was putting up the distance on purpose. So he had be surprised when she gave in this time.

"Thanksgiving two years ago", he finally answers.

She looked at him obviously surprised that it had really been this long. But she didn't say anything else and an uncomfortable silence started to fill the room.

Great, now he had embarrassed her. So much for the good mood they had been in so far.

"Lots of stuff happened since then", the tried to get them back on track.

Thankfully that made her smile again.

"Yeah, lots of stuff happened", she agreed.

Again the silence threatened to return. "You want some coffee?" She nodded so he went back to the kitchen to get two cups and the thermos with the coffee he had already prepared. A whole day without some caffeine fix neither of them would survive.

****

"What did he say?" Angell asked, when Don finally finished the call.

He just shook his head, not really knowing what to tell her. They were still covering behind one of the police cars. This was worse than he had thought. Seemed as if this guy was serious. It was beyond him how he had gotten his hands on Stella but this only meant, he had one more question to ask the guy once he had him locked up in a holding cell.

"Do we have any more intel on the layout of the building?" he finally asked his partner.

"Not really. It's an old warehouse. Lot's of space…"

Great, so in fact they got nothing. Judging from most warehouses from that time he's quite sure there'll be some offices on the second level of the building. The most likely place for the kidnapper and his hostage to hide would be in one of those.

"Any known hidden storage rooms?"

"Not that we know of."

What else? They had to get in there somehow. But storming in would most likely lead to Stella getting killed. Which in return would lead to him getting tortured and slowly, painfully dying by Macs hand – his body never to be recovered. This was so not the way he had wanted to spend this day.

"What's he asking for?" Angell suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Don shrugged, not so sure himself. He had asked of course, but there hadn't been a definite answer. Of course there was the usual: Car, chopper, free passage. What's new to that? Every half decent kidnapper would ask for this kind of stuff. And every somewhat intelligent kidnapper would know that it was unlikely he got what he asked for.

He looked at his watch. Nearly fifteen minutes since the call ended. He had to think of something, anything he could tell the guy when he called again.

"Can we send SWAT in?"

Again his partner shooked his head. "They're stuck. At least an hour till they're here."

Shit. There went his trump card. He had hoped to send SWAT in while he distracted the kidnapper on the phone. This meant he really had to go for this darn hostage negotiation protocol.

"The department negotiator?" he kept on asking.

"Busy with the robbery at the first national."

This was so not his day. First there was the call about a kidnapping, then it was no other than Stella who got kidnapped, Mac was god knows where and no reinforcement of any kind was likely to get here in time to help him out. He sighed and leaned his head against the front door of the police car he was still hiding behind.

"So what do we do know?"

Good question. Next question. He has no idea how to deal with this the right way. So he only shrugged at her question and shook his head again.

"Tell some of the uniforms to take a closer look at the building. But I want them to stay out of sight. And in no way they're to go inside", he finally orders.

She nodded in understanding and crawled away to comply. While all Don could do was wait for the next call. Not knowing how Stella was holding up was torturing him. He should have asked the guy to let him talk to her. Just to make sure, that she's alright. Maybe he should call Mac, too. But then… he wasn't so sure that Mac would be a big help. He would probably only increase the pressure Don was already feeling.

That was when his cell started ringing again. He looked at it, but the caller ID was unidentified.

"Flack."

"Ah… the nice detective, that's getting my new chopper. How's that going?" a hoarse voice sneered at the other end of the line.

"You know it's not that easy to get a chopper down here, don't you? There's barely any place where it could land." The reply came before he could even think about it.

"I'm not sure I like your tone, detective."

Great! Now he had him aggravated. Hostage negotiation 1-0-1: Never antagonize the kidnapper.

"Ya little friend here does look quite good by the way. Think I take two tickets for that chopper."

"Listen pal. Why don't we talk about this like adults?" Don asked, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"Adults? Ya think I'm just another one of those scumback you deal with every day? I have ya know… I'm not. So ya better stop being slow and get me that chopper b'fore ya friend's paying!"

"I didn't…!"

But before he could finish his sentence the line went dead again. The whole thing just kept getting worse and worse. Where were the damn negotiators when he needed them? He needed a solid plan. Soon. There was simply no way, he would let Stella down.

****

When Mac came back from the kitchen, bringing freshly brewed coffee he found the coffee table already taken by something different. He smiled briefly before he looked at his guest in wonder.

"Where'd you find that?" he asked surprised the thing was still in his possession.

"In the rack over there", his guest answered, pointing in the direction of one of his book shelves at the far end of the room.

Right. He remembered he had put it in there after… Quite a while ago.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

Again he smiled and shook his head. No, he didn't. It had been a while, but he was still fond of playing. So he watched, while his guest carefully arranged the carved wooden pieces on the board. She took great care doing so, letting her fingers slide lightly over every piece before putting it in the right spot on the board.

"You want to play white or black?"

He shrugged and let her decide. Not surprisingly she took black and quickly made her first move.

Mac still smiled, but this time at her and not at the board. It felt good to be here with her – familiar in a way, even if they hadn't done this kind of stuff for a while. Granted, they never played like this before. Mostly because he had lost interest in the game after his last opponent had left.

Didn't change the fact, that it felt painfully right to sit with her and resume that old hobby.

"Let's see if I can still play", he chuckled before he moved his first pawn.

****

It has been nearly an hour since the kidnapper last called. Don was getting more nervous any second. He still didn't know if Stella was alright. Calling Mac was sounding better and better. But then he knew, that this would ultimately be his downfall. So he had waited for the next call. Only it didn't come and now the second 30-minute window was nearly over.

He looked at Angell, worry etched in both their features.

She had followed his orders and sent some uniforms out to get more intel. But all they could tell them was, that it was a big old building with no other entrance than the one they were already watching. One of the officers had managed to get a peek inside. There had been a large manufacturing area on the ground level – empty except for some little boxes, that wouldn't give them any cover.

So storming inside was out of question.

At least this meant, the kidnapper didn't have much cover either. As soon as SWAT got here, they could actually have a chance to get her out of there. Unfortunately so far the backup wasn't here yet. The team that had been on their way to his scene had been re-routed to the same bank robbery, the negotiators were still busy at.

It was not only infuriating but also increasingly depressing, that they were sending men power wherever it was needed. But when one of their own – and Stella definitely counted as that – was in peril, there was nobody there but the basic forces. Not that they were bad or anything, but she deserved more. She deserved the best darn professionals for this kind of situation.

Again the phone shook him from his thoughts.

"Still don't hear a chopper."

"Yeah… well we're having trouble at the airport, ya know. It's… it's too hot or something." There was silence on the other end of the line. "Really pal. I've got no idea of this stuff. It's just… late."

Okay this sounded lame even to him.

"Ya better get me my car then. Not much time left before it's checkmate for ya pretty friend."

Shit! This was so not going as planned. Not that he really had a plan. But if he had had one, then this definitely wouldn't be it. He had to come up with something. Fast!

"I'm working on it. There's total chaos in the city. Bank robbery, murder, killings, rush-hour. You know how it is."

He tried, he did, he really did. But Dons mind was empty. There was simply nothing left in his head of what he might have once learned about hostage negotiation. He could still remember some snippets of it, but right now it was all just jumbled mumbo jumbo.

"I don't care!" a furious voice shouts at him. "I want my car and I want my chopper. And you're the one who gets be both or ya friends end will be slow and painfull."

"I'm… How about you take my car. I've got a car right here. You just have to give me something in return."

That's how it went, right? Give the kidnapper something, get something in return. There's only one thing he wants from the guy. So maybe that's the solution. The other end of the line stays quiet, so Dons hopes are up again. He could do this.

"Give me the woman and you can have the car."

It was worth a try, but he only got some mean laughter in return, culminating in a woman's an angry cry.

Shit!

"You've failed."

No…

"Miserably."

This couldn't be. It just couldn't. He couldn't be responsible…

Again he could hear a woman in the background.

"I win. Checkmate! Congratulations, Don. I just killed Stella."

Totally distraught Don hit his head against the door of the car again and again. This was **so** not his day.

****

"You know? This move was quite evil of you", his guest chuckles.

Mac grins back, the knight that had just 'killed' her king still in his hand. He has to admit he enjoyed this day very much so far. Not only the fact, that he hadn't be at the office today, but even more the company.

"And I'm not sure what I think about you using me in your little scheme. Again, I might add."

Stella's words sounds serious but she's still chuckling, so he didn't really buy her being mad at him about it.

"He has to learn to work under pressure", he finally justifies himself.

"But he also has to pass the hostage negotiations protocol sooner or later."

Well, she's probably right. But that didn't mean he couldn't think of some more scenarios to give his friend a taste of what real life could be like. This whole voice distortion thing for his cell had been quite funny. He has to ask Don if he knew it was him or if he thought it was Danny again – like last time.

He smiles at her and points to the board.

"Wanna play another game?"

-----

**A/N:**_As I said, not as crazy-funny as the last ones. Instead it's longer. I hope that worked for you, too ;)  
Reviews welcome as always.  
7 down, 5 more to come…_


	8. By taking a chance

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

**A/N:** _Hopefully this one's not as confusing as the last one. ;)  
Again no crazy fun._

_Still don't own anything from CSI:NY and not making any profit off of this._

_Thanks a lot for your reviews and the alerts!_

_Still un-beta-ed._

**8. By taking a chance**

It's been a while since he could genuinely enjoy Christmas season. To be honest it's been several years – the first one obviously being the hardest. But it's better now, much better. Sometimes he's not sure when this had all started. Maybe there is no one defining moment. But he would like there to be one. Because this way he could celebrate the day every year.

Looking around the theme decorated room his eyes wander from one person to the next.

They've all developed into dear friends over the years. He doesn't want to miss even one of them. And yet he knew, sometimes he had to. So far their track record was not that bad. They had lost Aiden not too long ago but so far they were doing good. After a while the sadness got shoved back to that dark corner in everyone's mind, where it could fester like an infected wound, so that it would be even harder the next time.

Unhealthy but effective.

Today was not the day to think about that. He was quite sure most of his staff had other things on their minds right now. The office Christmas party wasn't known to be a boring gathering just to get an excuse for drinking alcohol at work.

There was Don chatting with Angell in one corner of the room. Those two have gotten closer over the last months. He can see it in Dons eyes, whenever the young man thinks nobody's looking. And he can see it just the same in Angell's smile when she's watching him.

Not far away Danny was practically floating around Lindsay. Saying those two have gotten closer would be the understatement of the year. He nearly got in trouble because of it himself. When the chief called about it he was taken by surprise. Oh he had known there was something developing between them, but he hadn't know just how far into it they already were. It was probably more embarrassing because it's also his job to see this kind of stuff.

Stella… she was chatting with Adam right now, laughing lightly about something the kid had said. Adam was fidgeting, so stereotypical for the shy lab-geek it was almost hilarious. It's not hard to see, the kid was developing a crush on her fast. Gladly he's quite sure he doesn't have to be concerned about those two. He could see whatever Adam had said it had to be another one of his random facts, that most of the time got the kid more embarrassed than anything else. It was plain to see in Stella's eyes. There was this almost paternal glow in them. Like a mother who doesn't want to tell her son how stupid that comment just was because she doesn't want to hurt him.

"If you keep on staring, somebody will notice", a soft voice suddenly whispered in his ear.

He was almost jumping at that, only his long trained reflexes keep him from actually doing it.

"Notice what?"

The man besides him chuckled lightly. "You're staring, Mac."

"No, I'm not!"

That's ridiculous! He's so not staring. At Stella? No way!

"Yes you are…"

A bit annoyed about it he turns to his colleague and looks at him with a stern look. "I'm not, Sid."

"Just saying…"

"I know what you're trying to say. But I'm not staring. I'm just… observing", he finally answered and turned around again to look at his team again.

There's silence between the two men for a moment. He can practically feel Sid grinning beside him. But he wasn't willing to take the bait. He wasn't staring at Stella – he never is. This wasn't staring, this was… taking care. He was just making sure she's okay, looking for signs that he has to rescue her.

"What ya doing here?" another voice joins them.

"Nothing", Mac replied in haste.

"We're… observing", Sid adds with another light laughter.

When Mac shot him an icy glare this made Don giggle, too. What was it with those two?!

"So, where did your observation of Stella get you so far?" Don asked, amusement clear in his voice.

"What's with you guys and this obsession about Stella?!" Why was everyone assuming he was watching her anyway? She just happened to stand right in his line of sight. That's all there was!

"Getting worried?" Don asked with some gleam in his eyes.

"I'm not worried. And you two read way too much into this."

Neither Sid nor Don answered this one, so Mac was hoping the topic was finished once and for all. Even if he had been watching Stella – which he hadn't – this was in no way something he would discuss with them. Least of all here. If others got the same idea he was going to be in trouble.

If Stella heard he would be in really **big** trouble.

"Look!" Sid suddenly interrupted the silence again. "She's heading for the buffet."

"So?" Mac asked in return, trying not to look over at her just to prove his point. He was not going to stare!

"That's where Jessica put up the Mistletoe", Don whispered over Macs shoulder.

"And?" He would not fall for this.

"I wonder if Adam actually got the spunk to kiss her", Sid continued.

"Ya think?" Don didn't seem to be quite so sure about it and Mac didn't really want to know. "I think he'll chicken out of it."

"Watch it…!" Sid kept on commenting. "He's going for it… Going… Still going for the kill…"

"And… he turns around. Seems you don't have to worry for now, Mac."

"I'm not worried, Don." He wasn't. Why were the guys even assuming he was? Even if Adam did kiss Stella. This was just some stupid tradition. It didn't mean anything. Stella didn't like it anyway. "She'd probably slap anyone who tried", he added under his breath.

"Come again?"

Seemed as if Don wouldn't let this go so easily. But Mac wasn't one to give in either, so he just glared at his friend and didn't answer. This was stupid. He wasn't giving in to them. Neither of them.

"You afraid, she'd slap you, too?"

Now it was Sid who got one of Macs glare. But contrary to Don he just blinked back at Mac and smiled. Not so easy to intimidate this one… Still Mac was determined not to give in to their game.

"He'd never do that anyway", Don added when Mac kept his mouth shut. "Just the same chicken as Adam."

"Excuse me?!" Nobody called him a coward!

"You forgotten how to do it?"

Incredulously he looked at Sid, not believing what he had just heard. Why was everybody assuming he got so private life? Just because he was at work every day didn't mean he… Well okay it did most of the time. But not **all** the time!

Mac looked at Don, then at Sid again. He was not letting them put this on him.

Determined he stomped away, right in the direction of the object of their 'observations'. Forgotten how to do it? Too much a coward to do it? He'd show them! If doing something had ever been worth getting slapped by Stella, then this is it.

She was still standing at the buffet, trying to decide which snack to try out next, when he arrived behind her. Surprised she turned around and frowned. He was breathing hard, fidgeting with the edge of his suit jacket. She thought it was actually kind of sweet. Strange but sweet.

Mac pointed above.

That was when she saw the Mistletoe. She honestly hadn't noticed it until now. Looking back at Mac she smiled. It was a somehow stupid tradition. Thankfully he was here to warn her before one of their colleagues got any strange ideas. But seeing him there a bit nervous she got another idea.

She took half a step towards him, standing merely some inches away from him now. For a second she was amazed at how blue his eyes suddenly looked. Normally they're more of a grayish blue, sometimes even simmering in a little greenish hue. But not this evening. This evening they're glittering the brightest light-blue she has ever seen. Almost enchanting.

"I guess we shouldn't break the tradition", she whispered smiling.

"No… no we shouldn't."

Before she could follow her plan through and give him a light kiss on his lips, he closed the remaining distance between them. His right hand came up between them, his thumb lightly caressing her cheek, before he let the whole hand rest against it. He was closing in, watching her anxiously for any signs, that she didn't want this.

But he couldn't see any.

When his lips touched hers ever so briefly, she finally closed her eyes. That was all the affirmation he needed. He tilted her head lightly to give him better access and kissed her again, this time with a bit more force. Her lips tasted sweet, of red wine and fruits. When she still didn't complain he let his tongue slowly glide over her lower lip.

Both her hands came up, clutching at his shirt at waist level. Her lips parted and he took the invitation, slowly putting more force behind it. His tongue darted out again, this time seeking entrance, while he nibbled at her upper lip. In the background he can hear some noise, but he's way too focused on the woman in front of him to pay attention to anything else.

This was so damn good…

When their lips finally parted he keeps her head close. Something inside urges him to do it again, but he knows he's gone too far already. She's breathing hard and when he slides his hand down over her neck he can briefly feel her pulse fluttering just as fast as his own heart is pounding. Her eyes are still closed and there's a glow on her face he hasn't seen before.

It took him a lot of effort to step back and let go of her.

The background noise finally registers as the encouraging shouts of their colleagues. What has he done? He just kissed Stella, in front of everyone else. This was so not good! He should have known better. It's a miracle she hasn't slapped him yet. He smiled at the people still watching them and then turned around heading out of the room.

At the door he looks back to her over his shoulder for a second. She's still standing in the same spot. Judging from her still rapidly rising and falling chest she's still breathing heart. Suddenly he has to smile. He can still do it... Grinning he shot Don a dirty look before he turned around and left for real.

Just like the Marines taught him. Aim. Fire. Kill.

"Ya think she's alright?" Don whispered to Sid while he watched Mac leave.

"A little brain-freeze for a woman her age…? I guess it won't be fatal."

----

_**A/N:**__ Well as I promised, this one's more smacked. Hope you liked it! I didn't include the original quote this time because it just wouldn't fit._

_Reviews welcome as always.  
8 down, 4 more to come…_


	9. By not answering right away

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

**A/N:** _This one's not as funny as the last ones, it's actually way more serious. But it's only a momentarily sway away from funny road and back to what I'm more used to write._

_Still un-beta-ed and I still don't own CSI:NY._

_Thanks a lot for your reviews, the alerts and favs!_

**9. By not answering right away**

"You've seen the boss around?"

Surprised Stella looked up from the layout table. Danny was standing in the doorway a file folder in hand. She has to think for a moment, but then shook her head. No, actually she hadn't. But she's been so busy she hadn't even thought about it until now.

"What's the problem?" she asked back at the young man.

"He asked for an analysis but I can't find him anywhere."

Again she tried to remember when she had last seen her partner but only comes up with the evening before. They had said goodnight to each other when she left for home. As most of the times Mac had stayed there longer, finishing off some paperwork but also promising with a smile he would leave soon, too.

"Did you try his cell?" Danny just nodded.

Strange. Mac didn't turn his cell off, ever. Even when he was playing in the bar he got it turned on, just to be sure that they could reach him whenever he was needed. Nobody at the lab would call him when he's off duty if it wasn't serious anyway. Everyone respecting the rare times he allowed himself a private life.

"Maybe he's in an important meeting…" She couldn't really remember him having one, but it was a possibility none the less. "Try again later. If he asked for that analysis he'll call you."

Danny nodded and left to put the folder on his bosses desk just to make sure he'd get it as soon as he got in. Stella watched him for a moment, but then she had to focus back on her own work. Soon she was so engrossed in it that she didn't think of her missing boss any longer.

Hours later she got interrupted again.

"Ya seen Mac anywhere?"

Surprised she looked up again. She had a strange sense of déjà vu but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Hadn't there been somebody else asking her that same question not so long ago?

"He had wanted to call me about the DNA-Analysis from the Hunter-case but I couldn't reach him on his cell."

That was when it dawned on her. Analysis… Danny had asked her that question the same morning because he had wanted to give Mac the analysis he had run for him. But that had been hours ago. Mac should have been here by then, seen the file and called Don. Assuming that this was the same case.

"Let's go see Danny", she said.

Quickly she put the evidence she was currently processing away, so that it couldn't get contaminated. Don didn't understand right way why they should see Danny, when all he wanted was to talk to Mac, but when she didn't answer his question he fell silent. Stella looked worried – never a good look on her. And definitely a reason to get worried himself.

"Danny, have you seen Mac yet?" Stella asked as soon as she found the young man in trace.

He shook his head. After putting the file on Macs desk, he hadn't really looked for him anymore, taking Stella's advice and waiting for Mac to call him if he got any questions.

"What's the matter?"

"Don's looking for Mac, too", she explained, the worry plain in her voice now. "Can you ask around if anyone's seen him, Danny?" He nods, so she turns around to Don. "Let's go."

The young detective could only nod and follow her back out of the room. They were hurrying along the hallway, when he finally got the chance to get some more information out of her. She quickly explained to him that Danny had already been looking for Mac earlier the day. Now he began to understand why she was so worried.

Mac being MIA was not a pleasant thought.

"Where are we going?" he finally asks when he recognized Stella's current heading.

"Checking the parking-lot." Don didn't get it right away and could only look at her questioningly. "If his car is down there that means he made it here somewhere today."

"Or he didn't get out yesterday."

For a second Stella looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Right", she finally answers. "And that wouldn't be very unlikely for Mac Taylor…"

He could see her getting more nervous every second it took the elevator to send them down to the underground parking lot. Something was bugging her, but he figured it was the wrong time to ask her. First they had to get some confirmation about Macs car. They could worry about the what-ifs later.

Right now they had to find their elusive boss.

Don wasn't sure what would have been the most desired outcome of them checking the parking lot. But after they didn't find Macs car Stella only got more worried, so this definitely wasn't really desired. Again and again she checked the other parking spots, looking if his car was anywhere or if one of the labs SVUs was unaccounted for. Unfortunately they didn't find anything.

"He went home yesterday…", she finally said. "And he didn't come back today."

"That means he's either home or…" Don didn't like the idea that anything could have happened to Mac, but so far it was getting increasingly possible. It was not like him to stay away from work without letting anyone know.

He looked at Stella again, seeing worry and fear etched into her pretty face. If this was one of Macs little pranks he got too far this time. There'd better be a damn good reason for him playing hooky. They have to do something. Something more. Anything to find him.

"Let's check his apartment", he suggests.

For a second she was hesitating, but he waved his car keys at her and suddenly she was all with him, hurrying along the lined up cars. Actually he has a hard time keeping up with her. Considering she was wearing heels he was momentarily more amazed about how women can run in those things than worried about Mac. But he was quickly brought back to reality when they arrived at his car.

Without a word he slid onto the driver's seat, while Stella was already fastening her seatbelt on the passenger side. Pulling out on the parking lot they were soon on their way to his apartment. This wouldn't be his first time there, but it still felt strange to go there, not knowing if everything was alright with his friend.

Meanwhile Stella was calling Adam, asking him to tell Danny where they were heading and ordering him to try and locate Macs cell phone. She knew there was only a slight chance to find him like this. The last time she had called it had gone straight to voicemail. If it was turned off they couldn't locate it.

But they just had to try.

It took them longer than he expected to get to Macs apartment. Traffic was a bitch most of the time in New York, but today it seemed even worse. As if there was something keeping them away from him on purpose. Which made this all more difficult. He could feel the anxiety in Stella. No need to actually look at her for that. The air was practically buzzing with her barely controlled fear.

"He's alright, Stella."

She nodded, not really believing him. Which wasn't that surprising, considering he had a really hard time believing himself. But he just had to believe it. I had to. Mac was okay. And if he wasn't right now, then he certainly was going to be okay after they found him.

The second they finally made it to Macs apartment block Stella jumped out of the car and ran for the entrance hall. Don was right behind her, trying to keep up and again wondering how women managed to run in this kind of shoes. The elevator was somewhere upstairs. Instead of waiting, Stella stormed to the stairwell and again they were running.

Three floors up they entered the hallway again. It took her less than a second to get her orientation back on track. Macs apartment was on the far end of the hallway. Nothing unusual could be seen, nothing out of the ordinary. Don wasn't sure what was frightening him more, the fact that everything seemed to be normal or the mere absence of anything that would tell them about what had happened. If something happened to Mac there should be signs, there should be anything. It's just not right for everything to look normal if one of your friends got hurt.

No, not hurt. Mac was alright. He had already established that. So it was okay for everything to look normal. Because everything was normal. Maybe Mac had slept in. This insomnia deal had to come and bite him in the ass sooner or later. Yeah that probably was it. He just… slept in.

Or something.

Stella was already knocking on the door – hard. "Mac? Mac you in there?!" she shouted on the top of her lungs. But there was no response from the apartment. A neighbor down the hall opened her door to check what was going on, but went inside as soon as Don showed her his badge.

Again Stella tried to call for her partner, but still there was no response. Don was just getting ready to bash the door open, when she started to fumble for something in her pocket. A bit surprised he watched her getting her keys out; hands shaking.

"Here. Let me do it", he whispered, seeing her still shaking hand struggling with the lock.

Don took the keys and gently shoved her aside – not only to get better access to the lock. He didn't want her to see whatever was behind the door before he did. If… if something happened in there, he didn't want her to see it.

Carefully he opened the door and risked a quick look inside. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. So he opened it wider. Stella was shuffling behind him, clearly not in the mood to wait any longer. But he had no intention to let her inside before him, so he slowly made his way into the apartment.

There was still nothing that would strike him as odd. Okay, maybe he would have thought it odd that everything was cleaned up, not a speck of dust anywhere. But then, this was Macs apartment and this wasn't the first time he paid his friend a visit.

"Mac?" he shouted again just to make sure they wouldn't find him half-nakedly coming out of the bathroom.

But the man they were looking for was nowhere to be found. They checked the bedroom, bathroom, even the spare bedroom – again, just to make sure. But the apartment was empty. There was no sign of a struggle, no blood, no nothing. It was as if Mac hadn't even been there. And if he had been he had left as he always did.

"Where the hell is he?" Stella asked anguish lacing her voice. Don could hear the desperation that was getting stronger every minute they were looking for him.

"Try his cell again, Stella. Maybe he'll pick up this time."

He took her own phone out of her jacket and put it on speaker before she hit speed dial. Don knew better than to comment on the fact she had Macs cell on speed dial one right now. Those two were close, nothing new there.

They heard the one dial tone before it went right back to voice mail. Damn! They had to find him. This was getting increasingly spooky. Considering Halloween was months away and this was a turning into a really bad joke if it had ever been one… No, Mac liked to play pranks once in a while, but this was not his style. He wouldn't let them worry like this.

This was real.

Stella's cell ringing had them both jumping. Her hands trembled when she pushed the button to take the call.

"Mac?"

"No… no… sorry, Stella. It's… it's Adam."

She signed and shook her head at Don's unspoken question.

"I couldn't get a trace on Macs cell. I'm sorry. It must be turned off or…"

Adam didn't say it but she knew all too well what he meant. It could be broken. Mac could be laying somewhere broken. Where the hell was he? Why didn't he call her? Why didn't he call anyone? Something must have happened because Mac Taylor was not the kind of guy who'd scare his friends with this kind of thing.

No, there was no way she would let Mac down by falling apart. All she knew was that she had to find her friend, her partner.

She just had to.

With some quick words she thanked Adam and then hung up on him. Looking around she tried to see anything that would tell her what might have happened. But everything was just like she remembered from the last time she had been here. The books were still aligned in alphabetical order, the few pictures Mac would care to put up were still in their place, no used dishes in the sink.

That's when her eyes fall on the one item out of place. Not sure if she was seeing right she stepped closer. Slowly her fingers glide along the outlined metal before she finally picks it up. There was definitely something wrong here…

When she looked around she can see other signs – as if they had just appeared out of the blue. Why hadn't she seen those before? There were his dress shoes in the hallway, his coat was there too. None of these would be here if he had left for work this morning – and they wouldn't be here neither if he hadn't been home.

But if he had been here at one time and wasn't now… Where was he?

That's when it dawned on her. In a haste she pulled out her phone again, quickly dialing the lab. It was Adam again, the others obviously busy – hopefully with finding Mac.

"Adam! Check the hospitals for any John Does matching Macs description. And then check last nights police calls for the same", was all she told him before she hung up again.

She signed for Don to follow her, holding out the small item she had found for him to see.

"Mac was here last night and he went out. But not for work."

"How can you be so sure about that, Stella?"

Pointing to the shoe rack with one hand she opened the front door with the other one. When Don looked at the rack it took him a moment to process what was strange about hit. But then it hit him. Macs suite shoes were still there but another pair was missing.

"He went for a run…", he whispered a quiet confirmation of Stella's suspicion.

They hurried back to the elevator which thankfully was waiting for them this time. Asking for his keys Stella ran through the entrance hall, nearly downing an old lady by it. But they didn't had any time to waste, so she just threw an apology over her shoulder and kept on running.

Back at the care Don begrudgingly handed his keys over. He didn't really like somebody else driving his car but it seemed Stella had an idea where they could look for Mac. So he gave them up and they both got into the car to start their search anew.

"Where are we going?" he finally asked when they pulled out into traffic again.

"He usually runs the same route, so I figured we take a look. Just to make sure", she answered.

Her driving style was nothing to put Dons mind at peace and was hard pressed not to tell her that she would kill them if she didn't slow down a bit. But then… he wanted to find Mac just as much as she did, so he let it slip and prayed they would make it wherever they were going in one piece.

"He's been missing the whole day. Do you really think he's still running out there?"

She just looked at him, a frown on her forehead but didn't answer. They both knew that she didn't really expect to find him jogging somewhere. But he understood that she had to make sure he wasn't laying next to the road because nobody had cared to call an ambulance.

They were still driving around the streets about 30 minutes later. Nothing had come up so far. No sign of anything out of the ordinary. On the other hand Don hadn't really expected to find a big red sign that pointed to an injured Mac laying on the streets. Neither had Stella. It was just the uncertainty that was nearly killing them.

That was when Stella's cell rang again. Demanding her phone since she was still driving way too fast and he didn't plan on dying today, Don checked the caller ID. It was the lab again. When he took the call it was Adam.

"I think I found him!"

Thank god!

"Where?!" Don demanded and got Stella's attention right away by it.

"Lennox Hill."

"That's 100 East 77th Street. Lenox Hill", he directed Stella before he put in as a mere afterthought: "Thanks Adam."

Stella hadn't really needed any directions to Lenox Hill so she pushed her foot down on the accelerator and kept speeding along the streets. They finally found him. Even if it was a hospital. At least this would mean he was taken care of. He wasn't laying in the streets somewhere, bleeding out because some scumbag had thought it funny to rob him.

Or something like this.

She didn't really want to imagine all the things that could happen to you in New York City at night. Mostly because she can see those things every day she went into work. Never, ever did she want to see a friend of hers becoming a victim to one of those things. Even less if this friend was Mac Taylor.

They arrived at the parking lot in no time and hurried inside the emergency room entrance. Something inside both of them was still hoping it was nothing serious, but the emergency room was always a good place to start asking around.

"We're looking for Detective Mac Taylor", Stella blurted out as soon as she got to the counter.

The nurse just looked at her in surprise before she started checking her files. "We… don't… I'm sorry but there's nobody by that name. When did he come in?"

Stella cursed under her breath but tried to stay calm.

"We don't know. He probably got in…"

"Sometime last night", Don helped her out. Stella nodded and looked at the woman pleadingly. But still there was no positive answer. "Any John Does? He's… about 5' 9'', brown hair…"

"Blue eyes", Stella interrupted him. "And he's… he's got a scar, right here on the left side of his chest."

For a second Don looked at her wondering how she knew about this kind of stuff, but again this was not the time to ask this kind of questions. So he filed it away for later use – preferably to piss off a healthy, living and breathing Mac Taylor. Because he so didn't want to think of any other possibilities.

"Uhm… wait a second", the nurse replied. "Maggie?" she asked another woman who came around the corner just then. "Do you know if we had any John Does last night?"

The woman thought about it for a second then she nodded. "Right! There was one. Car accident. He's been transferred to ICU two hours ago."

"Shit!" Don and Stella both cursed in unison before they both took off in the direction of the elevators – determined to find out if the man in ICU was really their Mac Taylor.

When they arrived at the ICU nurses station the asking game started anew. But this time they knew what to ask to get a faster result. So about ten minutes after they arrived there a nurse was showing them to a room, where the unnamed patient was laying.

"He's got banged up quite good", the nurse explained meanwhile. "His left leg is fractured, as are two ribs, some abrasions here and there. They're looking worse than they are, so don't be too scared by them."

"Why is he in ICU then?" Don asked the one question Stella didn't dare to even acknowledge.

"He was hit by a drunken driver and hit the windshield head first. There's some swelling and he hasn't woken up till now. The doctor is worried about possible bleeding in the brain."

Neither Don nor Stella knew what to say about that. Mac Taylor and brain damage…?

"It more or less depends on when he will wake up", the nurse explained when she showed them inside the room. "He your colleague?"

Stella could only stare on the man laying so silently in the hospital bed.

"Yeah… that him", Don whispered at the nurse who nodded and left them alone to give them time and process what she had just told them.

It was strange looking at him like this. Don didn't know what to say or do. If he had been alone it would have been easier but with Stella here… He was just as worried about her as he was about Mac. She was trembling lightly but holding up.

Slowly she stepped forward towards her friend. The need to touch him got stronger every second she stared at him. When she finally reached out for him her heart was already pounding hard inside her chest. Carefully she let her fingers slide over his bare forearm.

He didn't react in any way. Not even the heart monitor, giving up his somewhat reassuring beep, changed its rhythm.

"This can't be", she whispered. "This can't be true…"

Sadly it was and her staying there for the next two hours didn't change a thing. Mac didn't wake up, there was no change in his current state at all. She barely registered when a doctor came in to talk to them. So Don went forward and took matters in hand. He spoke to the doctor, listened to all the possibilities they had to expect for the next 24 hours.

She didn't really listen, didn't wanted to know about what could happen, because in her mind there was only one possible outcome. He would wake up and he would be the same man he had been before. Because everything else was simply not possible. This whole situation wasn't possible.

Danger came with the job, she knew that. She knew that every one of them could be dead the next day. There've been others, they have lost friends, dear friends, loved friends. It's their daily job to go out there and every one of them knows that they could not come home that day because somebody shot them.

But this was different.

Because he hadn't been on the job. This had happened when he was supposed to be safe, when he had been off duty. She could deal with him getting hurt on the job – at least that's what she has always been telling herself. Losing him over something as trivial as a car accident was different though. For this she hasn't been ready.

During the next hours their friends turn up one after another but Stella barely registered them being there. At some point she had felt a hand on her shoulder guiding her to sit down a chair that had somehow materialized out of nowhere. She didn't answer, didn't say thank you, she just kept staring at Mac who was still laying motionless in the bed.

"Stella?" A voice finally dared to interrupt her. "Stella! I've got some coffee and sandwiches for you. I want you to eat them."

Stella looked up and straight into Dons worried face. She knows right then he was more worried about her and not Mac. But she couldn't put his mind at ease. She needs Mac to wake up and tell her everything's going to be alright.

Only so Don would leave her be, she nodded and took the cup and the sandwiches. Both tasted like the stuff you get right out of a vending machine – which wasn't all that surprising considering his possibilities.

"I've also got a water bottle for you", he explained. His voice was low as if he didn't wanted to disturb Mac when all they both wanted for him to wake up.

She nodded again, still not answering.

Don stayed for a while longer, but after a while he left like everyone else. She wasn't sure if they had gone home, but she also didn't care. It was late, already dark outside. So it was only normal for them to get home. She should be on her way home right now, too. Only she couldn't. She couldn't leave until she knew he was going to be okay.

"Mac?" she quietly asked, not really hoping for an answer. "Mac, you have to wake up soon." Her voice is hoarse. She's fighting tears because she knows there's not much time left. Don and the others might think she hadn't listened to the doctor telling them that there was a high possibility of him never waking up if he didn't show some signs of consciousness till the next morning.

But he wake up. The beeping of the heart monitor didn't sway from his rhythm for even a second.

She sighed an took his hand into hers. There's no way she was giving up on him though. So she kept on talking, telling him little snippets of nonsense, the latest gossip from the office and when she didn't know anymore what to tell him she started to talk about her last shopping tour with a friend of hers.

Inwardly she had hoped he would wake up at that and tell her he's totally not interested in her favorite shoe colors and where she liked to buy her clothing. But he didn't. He didn't move a muscle, only increasing her worry even more.

It was almost midnight, not too long till morning. Time was running out on them… She knew the nurse on night duty would be here soon to finally send her away, telling her to get some rest and come back again later. So she inched forward one last time.

"Mac…", she whispered again. "I know you're in there. I know I've told you this before, but… You really have to wake up."

Still no reaction. Tears were welling up in her eyes for real now.

"Please, Mac. This is killing me. I need you to wake up."

But Mac didn't move, didn't answer, didn't… do anything.

"Do you want that, Mac? Do you want me to put that on your gravestone? 'Here lies Mac Taylor, the man that killed Stella Bonasera'…"

When he still didn't wake up she leaned forward and lay her head down on his shoulder. She could feel his steady heartbeat through the thin hospital gown. But it wasn't reassuring anymore. Being alive was not enough. She needed him to be awake, to be whole again.

Slowly she drifted off to sleep, the steady and unwavering beeping of the heart monitor her only companion.

Don arrived at the hospital early the next morning. The doctor had said they could tell them more depending on how Mac would fare through the night. There were still two hours left from that timeframe, but he couldn't wait any longer. He had left the night before because he couldn't watch Stella sitting next to his friend. There was simply no way he could have comforted her. So he had taken the easy way out and went away.

He knew it made him a coward, but he had lost too much lately, he couldn't deal with other peoples loss, when he could barely deal with his own hurt.

The sight that greeted him when he went into Macs room would have made him smile any other day. But not today. Stella was sleeping, her head on Macs chest, her hand clutching at his hospital gown. The nurse had already told him, that there hadn't been any change during the night, so he knew what would await him.

He stepped closer, his eyes moving more over Stella's tearstained face than his friend. "Shit, Mac. Do you have any idea what you're doing to Stella?" he whispered barely audible.

A small movement in his peripheral vision had him changing his focus. Did he imagine this just now? He looked again, but the movement was gone.

"Mac?" he asked again, careful not to wake Stella in case it was just his tiredness finally getting to him.

"I… I'm not sure Don", a hoarse voice suddenly answered him laced with confusion but also a little smile. "I had a dream. I dreamed I killed Stella…"

Laughing out loud Don grabbed Stella's shoulder shook it hard. "That's okay Mac! It's okay. She's okay. Stella! Mac's okay…"

----

**A/N:** _About halfway through the story (roughly at the part where Stella and Don are driving over to Mac's) I was still thinking about turning this a fun story, but then… this seemed somehow more interesting to write. Hope you liked it anyway. And I promise this will be the only one this serious. The next one's getting more fun again ;)_

_Also I've never been to New York and I looked up that hospital on the internet, choosing it because it got an emergency care unit and because it's right in the middle of Manhattan... And the address that was given for Stella once was not far away from it, so…_

_Reviews welcome as always!  
9 down, 3 more to come…_


	10. By giving her something

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

**A/N:** _As promised, this one will (hopefully) not be as nerve-wracking as the last one ;) _

_Still un-beta-ed and I still don't own CSI:NY or its characters._

_Thanks for all your lovely reviews!_

**10. By giving her something**

He was feeling bad, really bad. Not the kind of bad you feel when you're injured or ill. God knows he was familiar with that kind of 'bad'. No, this was worse. There was this sickening feeling in his gut, this churning, this… Damn, he was just feeling really, really bad.

Unfortunately he wasn't feeling bad enough to call it a day. No, that would be irresponsible because… well he's the boss, he can't just play hooky like that without a valid reason. And since he wasn't really sick or anything he couldn't take the day off that easy either.

Damn! Sometimes being the boss really sucked. You had all the responsibility and the one time you actually need the authority you couldn't use it. Because using it would in a way be an abuse of his authority.

Being the boss didn't help at all…

"Mac? Everything alright?"

He looked up and nodded quickly. Had she seen him spacing out?

"Yes, Lindsay. Everything's okay."

She didn't believe him, he could see it in her eyes. For a second he was tempted to use her worry and get away. Unfortunately this pesky little voice of reason inside his head wouldn't let him. Over and over again it told him that he had more important stuff to do. If only the voice would tell him what those more important things were, then he could get done with them and leave.

But it seemed his over-tired brain could only come up with the same stuff over and over again: _You can't leave without a proper reason and the one reason you got isn't really a proper one. So suck it up and get to work._

"I'm feeling fine. Honestly", he finally replied.

Lindsay smiled at him an nodded lightly. "Okay. Here's the report on the Jenkins case."

With that she handed him the folder she was holding in her hands. Mac looked at it shortly, not really reading it, just skimming over the most important parts.

"Case closed?" he asked just to confirm what he had seen in the file.

She nodded again and smiled some more.

"Good work, Lindsay."

Still smiling. But now there was also a bit of proud in it. Well, she could be proud of herself. This hadn't been an easy case. But Danny and Lindsay had both worked it out in the end – without his or Stella's help.

Without another word she turned around and got back to work.

For a moment he was tempted again to just leave everything to them and get out of here. But then… he **was** the boss. It would really look back for him to go when there was more than enough work to do. And with his luck this would be the one day Sinclair chose to come down and check on them.

Being the boss really sucked!

With a sigh he put the file on an ever growing pile of solved cases. It was time for him to get to work for real. Sitting around here wouldn't help time to pass any faster. Work would help. Probably. Maybe. Okay, hopefully. But it was a chance.

So he shoved the bad feelings away and got up. Walking through the hallway he checked the closest labs and finally went over to one of the layout rooms where Adam was processing evidence from their latest case. The young man was blushing visibly while looking at the rather… revealing underwear of their female victim.

"Need some help?" he asked and got a shy but definite nod in return.

Mac pointed to said underwear. "Got anything from that?" When Adam's face went to a deep red Mac's own was already sporting an evil grin. The kid was way too easy to bait… That wasn't really a challenge at all. Maybe the time would actually pass quite fast.

But his hopes were for nothing, because while it was fun teasing Adam now and again over the none-existence of fabric in their victims clothing, there was a limit to that if he wanted the young man to get any work done. So he had to refrain himself – as hard as it was.

Finally they got some DNA examples and since DNA processing wasn't that much fun he left it to Adams very capable hands and got out to find something else he could occupy himself with.

His first check was with trace. Rarely a case that didn't have to go through trace. So there was a rather high possibility he would find something to do there. And if he had any luck there were some tests to do on rather unusual weapons. He could still remember the katana he got to wield not too long ago. A real piece of artwork by the way. Exotic weapons were his favorite.

He found Lindsay and Danny working the same case as Adam was. Only they were trying to find out which kind of weapon had killed their victim. Since it sounded way more fun than waiting for DNA Analysis he decided to stay there for a while – just to make sure they did their job right. This wasn't about shoving dozens of knives in some dead pig. No…! He was just doing his job.

Okay, from time to time being the boss didn't totally suck.

After putting knife after knife into their 'corps' for the next three or four hours they had narrowed it down to a Browning Yellowstone hunting knife. And if they had put some of those knifes in the pig more than once, than only for lecturing purposes so that Danny and Lindsay could remember them better. Because stabbing dead pigs was so totally no fun…

It was so totally no fun that he actually forgot to check his watch for half of the time. For the first time in years he was actually yearning for his shift to end. He knew that Danny and Lindsay had picked up on him being a bit on the edge but both had the good sense not to ask him about it.

Seemed as if there were some privileges to being the boss after all.

When they were finishing up he noticed that their shift was nearly over. So he went back to his office, grabbed his coat and stormed out towards the elevators. From his peripheral vision he could see Sheldon hurrying towards him, file in hand. This was not looking good. He was **so** not going to stay here any longer. His shift was over, he had a 3-digit amount of unused vacation-days, there was simply no way he was going to stay in longer today.

Not today.

The elevator doors were closing just as Sheldon arrived. Mac could see in his face that he didn't understand why Mac hadn't stopped, but explanations could wait. As could whatever Sheldon had wanted. His team knew what to do – they could manage without him for a while. Tomorrow was another day.

Without stopping again he got to his car and took off. Finally he could get out!

But instead to go home his way let him to Milano Marked on East 89th Street. The little 5-story building fit perfectly into the street-view – it's red brick wall face so typical for the buildings in this part of the town. He parked the car not far away and hurried to get what he needed.

The store was not really crowded, so it didn't take him long to get his take order. With a bag full of much needed supplies Mac turned around and went outside again. It was slowly getting dark, evening closing in fast. When he stepped outside his eyes fell on some buckets with flowers in front of the shop. For a moment he stopped. Following a sudden impulse he choose one of the little bouquets.

Another five minutes later Mac had paid for the flowers and was on his way again.

His final destination was just half a block down the street, so he didn't bother to get back to the car first. Instead he balanced the flowers and the large paper bag, so it's content wouldn't spill while he fumbled for his keys.

The building he was heading to had the same red brick wall face as the deli had had. Without any hesitation Mac made his way up the few steps to the entrance door. He had untangled his keys by then so getting in wasn't a problem anymore.

A loud creaking told him, that the super was still stalling on the repairs. It also alerted the tenants on the ground level to everyone entering. To be honest he wasn't sure if that was a bad thing. Promptly old Mrs. Calaney opened her door to greet him as soon as he got inside. Mac smiled at her, an apology in his eyes. Today he didn't take the time to chat some more with the old lady. There were other things on his mind – better things.

Things responsible for him hurrying out of work as fast as possible.

Taking two steps at a time he made his way upstairs and then along the hallway. There were children's voices floating from the apartment next door. But that's not where he was heading. He looked at the number 206 on the door and took a deep breath.

Suddenly there was a nervousness spreading through his body that he couldn't explain. Really, there was no need to be nervous. He had been waiting for this the whole day. Mac looked at the flowers he was still holding. Maybe he shouldn't have brought them. They were probably a bit too much…

Again he took a deep breath, then he opened the door.

There was no sound coming from the apartment, no greeting. Nothing. But he knew he wasn't alone, when he closed the door. Carefully he put the paper back and the flowers down, so that he could take his coat off. For a moment he was tempted to call out 'Lucy I'm home', but then… well he just guessed that it would do more harm.

So he picked up the paper bag, leaving the flowers to put them away later. Silently Mac made his way to the living room to check if somebody was there. When he found it as empty as the kitchen he continued further through the hallway. For a moment he felt like an intruder, but he shoved the feeling down. He wasn't intruding, he knew that. Whenever he had been here before he had been welcome.

There was reason he's got a spare key.

Finally he arrived at the bedroom. The figure in the bed was turning from one side to the other rather agitated. Mac had to smile when he watched her turn and toss around. She was obviously not feeling good and he knew it was kind of evil to smile about that. But he couldn't resist.

"I've brought some chicken soup", he finally announced his presence and lifted the paper back to show his peace offering.

She turned around and glared at him. A lesser man might have scrambled at that, but he knew her way too well. "Tha yoh way of apolo'zin?"

He chuckles and steps into the room. "It's not really my fault…"

"Ya gave thi to me!"

"You have to talk to me in English, Stella…"

That earned him just a little huff, but no further response. Instead she goes back to simply staring at him. Oh yeah, those green eyes could kill a guy – if he didn't know the woman as well as he did.

Mac chuckled again, simply unable to suppress it. Her eyes are even redder than her nose and the mountain of used tissues is a sad sentiment of why she had spent the whole day in bed.

She's right he should be feeling guilty for it. And in a way he does. He had been worried the whole day about her laying sick in bed. If she hadn't taken the time to sit with him when he had gotten down with a cold last week she might not be here right now. So he guessed it was only fair if he repaid the favor.

Slowly he made his way over to the bed and put the bag on the nightstand. He reached out and carefully put the back of his hand against her forehead. She was still a bit fevered, but it was definitely better than the day before. Mac knew from own experience, that she'll be feeling uncomfortable for one or two more days and then she'll be back to her usual not-so-grumpy self again.

"You should eat the soup while it's still hot."

For a moment she kept glaring at him, but then she sighed and nodded. Although she wasn't sure her stomach could manage real food already some good old fashioned Jewish penicillin did sound good right about now.

While Stella pulled some more pillows behind herself, so that she could sit somewhat upright in the bad, Mac had gotten a small bowl and a spoon so that she didn't have to eat out of the styrofoam container. When he got everything ready he handed her the food.

The soup was good and the little appreciative sounds coming from Stella told Mac that she wouldn't be all that mad with him any longer. Oh she would reproach him with this for a while but he knew she would be smiling by doing so. When she got back to work she would bitch and tell everyone that it was his fault. But right afterwards she would turn around to him and smile so that he knew she didn't mean it. That she wasn't really mad with him.

She sniffed and rubbed at her nose. "This doesn't make it better…", she finally managed to get out.

"I know."

"You owe me!"

"I do…"

For a while there was silence in the room, while she slowly continued to eat her soup. She was halfway through when she couldn't eat any more. Her stomach wasn't ready yet to hold that much food, so she rather put the rest away before she got sick again.

"I feel terrible", she suddenly announced and slid down the bed again – curling into a tight ball just to prove her point.

"I know."

"It's your fault I'm dying here, Mac."

"Yeah… guess I can add that to my resume now. 'The man that killed Stella Bonasera'. How does it sound?"

She didn't answer but the smile told him more than enough. They both knew it wasn't really his fault. He would never want for her to feel this bad. Just as she knew that he was feeling guilty about this. She could see it in his face, felt it in the careful touch when he checked her forehead again.

"Gladly you won't really die from a cold."

Again she didn't answer, just huffed and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. She didn't last much longer after that, falling asleep almost the second she closed her eyes. Carefully he straightened the blanket and made sure there was some water nearby in case she woke up.

The used tissues somehow found their way into a large garbage bag. He needed a while to find a vase for the flowers, but when he did he put them in the bedroom for her to see. Maybe it would help to get her into a better mood when she woke up. That wasn't really why he brought them though. Actually he didn't know why he brought them. It had been a simple impulse.

Again he looked at Stella's sleeping form in the bed. She wasn't tossing around anymore and her breathing didn't sound as labored as the night before. Actually the worst part seemed to be over. She was getting better and that meant he should be here longer than he had to. He was her boss.

The boss doesn't stay over at his subordinates place.

But then… the was not really his subordinate. Even if she officially was, she rarely does behave like one. And for him she's been his partner rather than just another subordinate for quite a while now. So staying here one more night wouldn't look all that suspicious. And it wasn't as if he had to tell everyone.

Mac smiled.

When Stella woke up the next morning she was feeling way better. Her head didn't hurt that much anymore and her nose wasn't as stuffed as it had been the two days prior. Slowly she opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that Mac was still there, sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair. Right behind him was a little flower bouquet that hadn't been there the evening before when she fell asleep.

A little smile crept up her lips.

"So? What's the verdict?" he asked quietly.

"Guess I'll survive after all."

Mac smiled at that and straightened out his suite when he got up. It was time to get back to work. He was feeling really tired. Even with the whole insomnia deal staying up two nights in a row without any rest was exhausting, no matter what people thought. But then he has a very capable team which would take over most of the work for today. He could probably get away with closing the blinds on his office and taking a nap on the couch for an hour or two to regenerate.

Because sometimes being the boss wasn't so bad at all…

----

_**A/N:**__ Well, I hope you still liked it ;)_

_Reviews welcome!_

_10 down, only 2 more to come…_


	11. By entrapping her

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

**A/N:** _Thanks again for all your reviews! They've been really lovely and very encouraging :)_

_This is still un-beta-ed and I don't own CSI:NY._

**11. By entrapping her**

She had no idea why she had agreed to this. Honestly this was so not like her. Normally she was more cautious, especially when this specific man was involved. Really, why the hell had she agreed to this?! She should have seen this coming.

It's not as if this was the first time they've done this.

Actually they have done this before quite often. The last time had been so intense, she should have remembered it when she volunteered. Every bone in her body had been aching after the last time. She had sworn to never to it again. And yet she was here.

Because when Mac had come to her just two hours ago… Well let's just say she had a real soft spot for those blue eyes of his. It was hard to resist him when he looked at her that pleadingly. Most people wouldn't believe it. But most people didn't know Mac Taylor the way she did. At work he was going all for the hard-assed image. But once you knew him in private you got to see the real Mac.

And most of the time the real Mac could be more tempting than a cute little five year old begging is grandma for cookies. And the worst thing was he knew it! He knew exactly what kind of impact those eyes had on her!

There was simply no way she could resist him when he was like that. She hardly ever could. Sometimes she managed to divert him long enough so that he would either actually forget what he had asked for or so something else came up and kept him entertained. But most of the time she caved – and ended up having lots of fun herself.

Only right now she wasn't so sure this was fun anymore.

She was laying on her back, sweat running down her neck. Her breathing was still labored from their last round and she was quite sure she could actually hear her heart pounding heavily in her chest. The scientific part of her brain tried to tell her that it was only the blood rushing in her head. But really, where was the difference?! It was the same blood her heart was trying hard to circulate through her exhausted body.

When she turned her head to the left she could see him right next to her. His eyes were closed and but was a little smile on his face. Well at least he seemed to be _a bit_ exhausted. There was some comfort in that. But that smug grin on his face was doing nothing for her already bruised ego.

There was a never officially disclosed amount of years of age difference between them. Being the younger one she should be able to keep up with him. But instead it seems as if he got the better of her every time they met like this.

This would be the last time. She won't agree to this _ever_ again!

"You up for another round?" he asked and she can hear the ongoing smile in his voice.

She wasn't. Didn't want to. Instead she wanted to take a bath – a very long hot bath – and go to bed. And sleep! But when she looked at him there was this sparkle in his eyes, this… this gleam that got to her again and again.

It was just so damn hard to resist him…

"Come on, Stella. You know you want it."

She's so screwed!

"I'm… I'm not sure I can even walk, Mac!"

He turned to his side and looked at her smiling. There was still this little sparkle there, tempting her to give in. His breathing had evened out and he wasn't even sweating. How the hell did he do this?! Really, he's past his forties. Men past their forties are not supposed to have such a short recovery time!

It's supposed to be longer than that of women her age anyway.

Mac reached for her and him touching her arm was nearly enough to make Stella cave. But only nearly because as much as she was tempted, she just couldn't move. Slowly Stella tried to lift her arm – just to check how far she would actually get if she tried. Unfortunately it was quite clear that wouldn't be very far because as soon as her arm left the ground it started to hurt.

It wasn't a bad hurt, not like she was injured or anything. But it was aching none the less.

Groaning she rolled over onto her side, facing Mac. He was still smiling that sweet little smile of his which made him look at least ten years younger. Slowly he moved his hand to her shoulder, rubbing it lightly.

That was when Stella saw the opening. With all the strength she could find she pushed against him – hard. They rolled over until she was on top of him straddling his lap, her hands on both his shoulders pushing him down to the ground.

She grinned at him but his smile never faded.

Too seconds and the strange sensation of flying later she was slammed down on her back. His right leg came down over her stomach and his forearm was pressed against her trachea. Stella knew he was taking great care not to press into her too hard so she wouldn't bruise for real.

But she also knew that had been her last attempt – at least for today. There was simply no way she could fight it any longer. She was simply too exhausted, too tired, to worn out. Two hours and her body felt like jell-o!

All of a sudden they heard the door open.

Looking at them both the man in the door grinned. "Ya having fun?"

"I don't know, Don", Mac answered giggling but his eyes never leaving hers. "I think I just killed Stella. But otherwise I guess we're fine."

Stella sighs and pushes weakly at her captor. "Remind me to never volunteer as sparring partner for Mac again, Don. _**Please**_!"

----

**A/N:** _I know it's probably kind of a bit like chapter 5 in the way of… imaging. But that just came my mind today and to me it seemed so much better than what I had originally planned for this chapter, so I couldn't let it go. It's also much short than the last ones – hope you don't mind that much!_

_Reviews still welcome._

_With this one there're 11 down and… only one more to come!_


	12. By listening to your elders

**A dozen ways to kill one Stella Bonasera**

**A/N:** _I'm really sorry this is so late compared to the other chapters but I had family over for a visit and… well there wasn't that much time to do anything else besides that and work. So I couldn't write this down before._

_In case anyone cares… this is actually the original chapter 11 that I didn't write/publish before because of the other one._

_I still don't own the CSI:NY characters or the show itself._

_This is also still un-beta-ed, so all mistakes are mine._

**By listening to your elders**

He is sitting on his couch feeling rather smug and… good. Yes, he is feeling good. Strange in way. Not the fact alone that he feels like this has been the best evening in quite a while, mind you. No, the thing that seems strange to him are the circumstances that brought him here feeling that way. Because only half a week ago he would never have thought this would really be happening. But it is. It did. He is really here and he _is _actually…

Happy.

Really happy. Not the kind of happy he had felt when the Yankees won the title last week. Also not the kind of happy he felt every time he could take a folder from that stack on his desk and put in the out tray to never see it again. No, this is different. More, deeper, something he had last felt… during another lifetime.

So this hadn't really been on his mind, when had first pictured this year's Thanksgiving. To be honest, he hadn't been planning anything at all. Okay, he had been planning on working, so that somebody else could go home and have dinner with his or her family. Then he had thought of his mom and for a time he had planned to visit her and have dinner with his own family for a change.

But then another case had come up and he had actually forgotten to call her – again. So when she had called herself about a week ago all he could tell her was another lame 'sorry' because he hadn't exactly been a good son during those last years.

As usual she hadn't really been mad. Thinking back he's quite sure the last time she had genuinely been mad at him had been the time when he had set the garage on fire with his first chemical play-set. If his memory doesn't betray him he had been 6 at the time.

So it hadn't been that much of a surprise to him when she told him with a laugh that she had already plans of her own and there was no need for him to come to Chicago. He had wanted to tell her he would come anyway. But she knew him too well and told him in no uncertain words to stay in New York.

Since it was too late to get several days off anyway he told himself to be a good son for a change and listen to his mother. So he had smiled at his phone and told her he'd come visit for Christmas instead – planning fully on making good on that promise.

"You come alone or will you finally bring someone with you?" she had asked and taken him by surprise with it.

"Mom?"

"Oh come on, Mackie. You're a grown man. Don't tell me you still don't have a lady friend!"

"Don't… Let's not talk about this..."

But he got interrupted by her again: "This is not healthy, my boy. You should really get somebody. You know, if you're having trouble ge…

"Mom!? I'm not having…! I'm **so** not going to talk to you about my s... We're not talking about this!"

Mac couldn't even believe she had tried to talk about this. He could feel a very solid blush creep up his face, unable to suppress it in any way. And to add even more pain to this humiliation that had been the exact moment his way too cheery partner had entered his office.

"Mac? You okay?" Stella had asked a frown on her forehead but also a slight smile on her lips.

"That Stella?" another female voice was blearing in his ear. "You could bring her along!"

"No."

"You're not okay?" The smile went from Stella's lips and the frown deepened.

"Oh come on, Mackie, don't be like this. She's a pretty woman and really nice."

"Yes. No. I mean…" He didn't really know anymore what he meant.

"You're looking kinda flushed, Mac…"

"You don't think she's pretty, Mackie?"

That was so not fair! "I'll call you back", he finally gave up.

With that he had turned the phone off and had taken a deep breath. Stella had still looked worried but then smile had returned. He just couldn't help himself and had smiled back at her. There was simply no way he could be mad at her over something like this. Least of all if it wasn't her fault at all.

"What was that about?" Stella had asked again.

For a second he had contemplated to tell her the truth, but then he shook his head. "Nothing."

And with that everything had went back to business as usual. Only his mind hadn't gone back there. He had caught himself time and again watching Stella whenever she wasn't looking. His mothers words were still echoing in his mind over and over. But considering the not so subtle hint is Mom had dropped when Stella had walked in… bringing her with him would open a totally different can of worms.

One he wasn't sure he should even look at.

But looking he was none-the-less. Looking quite a lot. So much that even Don noticed. Which might have led to another highly embarrassing conversation if it hadn't been for some stupid idiot shooting at them all of a sudden just when Don had started to drop the bomb.

Gladly nobody had been hurt and they had returned to work – again. Still he couldn't stop watching Stella. So when he was finally sitting in his office over some paperwork about half a week ago his thoughts drifted back to that phone-call. She was a really beautiful woman, his Mom was right about that. But he had known that before. Hell he was quite sure half the guys she ever met were having dirty dreams about her at one point or another.

"I'm so screwed…", he had whispered and took another sip of his coffee.

"Bad date?" And with that his coffee had been spilled all over his desk. "Geez, Mac. You alright?"

He had looked up to glare at his visitor, but when he looked at Stella's smile he couldn't be angry. The smile made her look even more beautiful. Damn, how was he ever getting out of this? This was all his mothers fault! If she hadn't suggested he'd bring Stella over for Christmas he wouldn't be in this mess.

But then…

"I'm alright", he had finally answered her question, keeping his eyes downwards while trying to rescue whatever file he could reach.

Mac could feel her watching him, but he didn't look up or comment on it any further. She handed him the file she had brought and turned around to get back to work.

"What… what are you doing on Thanksgiving?" he suddenly blurted out.

She looked back at him and smiled. "We're both working early shift that day, Mac."

Right. Damn! How could he forget about this? Of course she was. So she'd be busy just like him, except for…

"The evening. I was… I meant what you're doing for the evening. Got… any date? Or something?"

Why was he even asking? He was quite sure he didn't want to know about the guy she's currently going out with. And considering their status at work he shouldn't even be asking this kind of question. It was inappropriate – even if they were best friends.

"I'm sorry, Stella", he adds in haste. "This is none of my business. Forget I asked."

"No. It's okay. And… no, I don't have a date. I was planning to spend the night with some Chinese and a nice DVD."

That was the moment to ask. Only he didn't. He couldn't bring the words out. Still he could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't dare to look up. Instead he shoved the files on his desk from one place to another, while still trying to remove the spilled coffee without making it worse.

"Well if that's all…", she finally told him. Mac wasn't sure if it was disappointment or annoyance in her voice though. She turned around again to leave his office.

"Would you like to come over and have dinner?" he suddenly blurted out.

"Today?"

"No. Well yes, if you'd like to. But I was… I meant on Thanksgiving. Do you want to come over for dinner on… Thanksgiving?"

He still didn't dare to look at her, fearing there would be some rejection in her eyes. But when she didn't answer he was slowly getting worried that she wasn't even there anymore. He should have known this would happen. That's what you get when you go too far…

"Only if you'll actually look at me then while we're talking." His head snapped up fast. "I'm not one to leave out on a free meal." Well if the winkling in her eyes was any indication, then he could really consider himself lucky.

That had been half a week ago and since then his anticipation of this evening had grown considerably. He had worked his ass off to get a decent meal together – turkey, stuffing and all. Actually his kitchen still looks like a battlefield. But that's okay because he is feeling… happy, content, good.

So many words but none of them seems adequate.

The body beside him shifts a bit, snuggling up even closer. A little sigh the only sound disturbing the silence. But before he can say something his phone suddenly rings, annoying him more than anything because he doesn't want to be disturbed, doesn't want _her_ to be disturbed. Stella is leaning against him, her head on his shoulder and it feels so good… no way he wants her to move.

To get it over with as fast as possible he gets his cell out. "Taylor."

"Hey, Mac! Just wanted to check how it's going."

"Everything is fine, Don." He should never have told him about this…

"I think I'm dying…" Stella suddenly moans, making him smile.

"Well apparently I just killed Stella. But otherwise everything is fine."

"Mac?!" Great, now Don sounds worried. Maybe he should have phrased that in another way. "You didn't cook yourself, did you?"

"Of course I cooked myself!" he blurts out before he can think about it.

"Geez!" Don sighs on the other end of the line. "You didn't give her food poisoning again, did you?!"

Stella suddenly giggles and takes his cell phone away. "Actually dinner was great and I feel like I'll explode any second." With that she hangs up on Don and turns the phone off for good.

He looks at it for a second then to her, but she already closed her eyes again, her head back on his shoulder. Well, if there's something important at work that can't wait, they'll probably try his landline, so there's no harm to keep his cell off for the time being.

"It was great, you know…", she whispers suddenly. "Thank you for this invitation."

Mac pulls her closer and before he can think about it he presses a little kiss on the top of her head. There's no need to explain himself, he knows that. And even if he tries it won't come out the way he wants it to. He's never been good at talking about this stuff. But maybe he'll learn. And maybe he should listen to his mother more often…

"You want to come to Chicago with me for Christmas dinner at my mom's?"

-----

**A/N:** _Again, I'm sorry this was delayed that much. I hope you liked it even if it's probably only mildly funny._

_12 done… and still the one, ultimate way left ;)_


	13. Epilogue: The ultimate Way

**The ultimate way to kill Stella Bonasera**

**A/N:** _This is the original chapter 12 for this story. Although I didn't include it in the original 12 ways, I decided to post it anyway. And since this is a really short chapter I decided against publishing it as a separate story. It's the final part – this time for real ;)_

_Still un-beta-ed. _

_Is still don't own anything related to the original CSI:NY and this is totally not for profit._

_Hope you'll like it and it will make up for the delay!_

* * *

Carefully his fingers glide over the paper in his hands. He had never thought he would see this day. To be honest, for a very long time he didn't know how he would feel if the day ever came. Now that it's here he's still not sure what it is that he's feeling.

A little knock against the glass of his office door pulls him out of his musings.

When he looks up he can see his friend slowly entering. It's been a while since he has seen Don in a suit. Since Angell died he had started to wear more casual clothing for work and never got back to his old attire. Maybe it had remembered him too much of what he had lost.

But today he's wearing his black suit again, looking kind of lost in it. As if it wouldn't fit him anymore. Maybe it doesn't. But it still looks good on him – even if it's strange to think like that about your friend. Don smiles at him, but doesn't say anything.

Mac is still leaning back in his chair, feeling as if his own black tie is choking him. His finger is still gliding over the raised letters of the invitation card in his hands. The anxiety is building up, finally reaching a point where he's not sure what it might do to him.

He had been at this point before once. Last time he had thought – hoped – it would be the only time. But fate had something else planned for him. So going there again… it was difficult in its own way.

"You ready? It's time…" Don asks, his voice quiet.

He's not sure if he's ready; hasn't been for quite a while now. There's no doubt in him that he will be ready. But doing this again… Turns out it's not as easy as he had thought. Not that he had really expected this to be easy.

This was Stella, his best friend.

Again his finger traces the letters on the invitation. He wants to do this, he wants it so much that it's hurting. So what is he still waiting for? Why is he hesitating?

He finally nods. For a last time his finger traces the name of his best friend on the card before he puts it back on his desk. Don is right, it's time to get going. No more hesitating. There's no doubt about what he wants what he feels… for her. Only he's still not sure what else he's feeling and that fact frightens him more than the place he's about to go right now. What is this strange feeling in his gut?

"I feel…", he suddenly whispers. "I feel like I'm killing her – in a way."

"What?"

Mac turns to his friend and smiles. "I know it's stupid…"

Now it's Dons turn to smile and shakes his head. "Mac, come on. This is not like you…"

"I know!" he blurts out. "It's just… I didn't expect to… do this… again."

Don nods but doesn't answer for quite a while. Then suddenly he grins at his friend. "Well I guess one could say that you're about to kill the one and only Stella Bonasera."

They both laugh at that. Then Don puts his arm around Macs shoulders and pull him with him. "But you know… If we don't get going right now. It will be me that's getting killed. By _her_."

"She won't kill you. She loves you", Mac whispers. He can feel Dons arm tighten around his shoulders for a second, but neither of them mentions it any further.

"Well, I won't risk it anyway. Now let's go. As your best man I'll make sure she'll survive the killing thing. And I guess if she'll be there she agrees that being Stella Taylor's not that bad."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I don't usually write in present tense unless I have a story with lots of different timelines. But since this story is situated in the future of the show I decided to change the tense for this one._

_Also it's probably the shortest one, but I couldn't draw this one out any longer…_

_Thanks again for all the regular reviews and the encouraging words. They did a lot to help getting this finished. _


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